Darkness In Zero
by Nocturnal-Ivy
Summary: Based on the Secret Ansem Reports of KH2. Telling the story of Ansem the Wise, the betrayal of his apprentices and his descent from a loving and respected ruler to the revnge-hungering Diz. Full summary is inside. 8
1. Prologue The New Apprentice

**Darkness in Zero**

**Summary: Following the life of Ansem the Wise from the day he finds Xehanort wandering, practically dead, through the castle gardens of Radiant Garden. Telling the tale behind the Secret Ansem Reports he leaves behind, the story behind the six apprentices who eventually forge the beginning of the mysterious Organization XIII, how Ansem the Wise became Diz, Darkness in Zero, and why he became so intent on destroying Organization XIII.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters named herein, they belong to Tetsuya Nomura.**

**Prologue The new apprentice**

The aging Master of Radiant Garden found himself wandering the fabled gardens alone. The evening light was beginning to fade, leaving the crisp gold and pink glow of the setting sun. The Lord had found himself sitting atop the roof of the castle on many occasions, enjoying the breathtaking beauty of a Radiant Garden sunset. The sight was almost unmatched.

However, this evening he found himself strolling along the ground, favouring the golden leaves of the trees and the fading glory of the garden's flowers.

Autumn had always been Master Ansem's favourite season. Not only the golden glory of the season but also the message that everything comes to a close. No longer being a young man, Ansem had come to accept that nothing is eternal, all things must end, some way or another.

But enough of the ramblings of an old man's mind.

Ansem released a low sigh, encapsulated by the beauty of the fabled gardens. His apprentices were all inside, doing whatever it was the young men occupied their free time with doing. He couldn't comprehend how the young men couldn't appreciate the beauty of the world around them.

'Perhaps when one is young, their mind is preoccupied with other matters. Perhaps only when one comes close to leaving the world they know can they appreciate its true beauty?'

His mind on his apprentices, Ansem once again found himself wondering whether he had made the right decision in taking them in.

They were but boys, including Even, who had been an apprentice within the castle for over twenty years.

True, he had taken some of them away from the horrors of poverty and crime but also from the lives they could now never lead.

Never could they lead a quiet life, free of speculation and admiration.

Well, not on this world anyway. But what if…

His musing were cut short by a rustling in a bush to his left. Bracing himself for any attack that might present itself, Ansem called out.

A young man staggered out of the hedge, his clothing ragged and mud covering almost every inch. Deep lacerations covered his chest.

His figure was thin, presumably from malnutrition and his long, unkempt hair was plastered to his skin.

It was difficult to guess the hair colour beneath the layers of dirt and grime but his skin was clearly dark, a rich brown, though the dirt and blood did rather diminish the effect.

Stepping forward to ask for the man's name, Ansem heard a sharp crack. Glancing to the ground, the Lord saw a small silver locket. The image inside was blackened, presumably from exposure to a fire.

Ansem glanced back to the man, his arm was outstretched. He choked, blood running from the corner of his mouth, before falling to the ground and shaking violently.

Master Ansem crouched beside him as the man's spluttering and erratic chest movements ceased.

He checked for a pulse. It was faint.

Clambering quickly to his feet, he reached down and pulled the younger man across his shoulders. For being so thin and malnourished, the young man was rather heavy.

Ansem stumbled across the grounds, heading for the east entrance to the castle.

Upon reaching the crystal doors, Master Ansem found two of his apprentices, Braig and Dilan.

Thirty-two year old Dilan was physically the second largest apprentice, after Aeleus and particularly gifted with wind spells.

His deep brown hair would probably reach down to his shoulders were it not tied into loose braids. A strong beard rested on a strong chin and deep indigo eyes glared out from beneath thick eyebrows.

Braig, in comparison, was considerably more weedy, yet older, at age thirty-six, than his muscular friend, though with a strong chest. His chocolate-brown hair fell almost to his waist.

He had recently lost one of his hawk-like yellow eyes at the local shooting range. A new member had been waving around a musket with a bayonet and the results had not been pretty. The boy hadn't gotten off lightly either. Braig had proved to be no less of a marksman despite his decrease in depth perception.

Dilan noticed the struggling man first and rushed out to relieve him of the unconscious male, Braig following close behind.

"Master Ansem, what's going on?" Braig took only a brief glance at the scene before him.

Ansem shook his head at the question. "I am sorry Braig, there is no time to explain at the moment. I require Aeleus and Ienzo immediately. We will be in the guest room beside my own."

Braig nodded and took off, vanishing from sight within seconds.

"Dilan, there is little time."

The large male nodded and rushed through the doors after his master. They reached the designated room quickly, Dilan being considerably less constricted by the unconscious male than Master Ansem had been.

Aeleus and Ienzo arrived only moments later, the height difference between them almost comical.

Ienzo, the youngest apprentice at age twenty-four was also the shortest, standing at only 5'2", with ebony hair, cropped into an almost elfin style. His features were small and sharp, accentuating the elf-like appearance of the young man. His dusky blue eyes quickly analysed the scene.

Aeleus however, stood tall and sturdy. His copper hair curled softly and his cobalt eyes were warm, yet at this moment, lined with concern.

As they entered the room, followed closely by Braig, Aeleus drew out a small bag and set it on the bed beside the unconscious young man, scrutinising the damage.

"His right arm is broken but aside from that the damage is merely cuts and bruising."

Ienzo drew out a small bottle, filled with the emerald liquid of a cure potion and gently poured it down the throat of the unconscious male, lifting his head to ease the passage of liquid.

The lacerations and bruises vanished with a faint green glow yet his right arm remained at it's obscure angle.

Ienzo frowned gently. "The arm was broken by magic and therefore cannot be healed with magic. It will have to heal naturally."

Aeleus stepped forward and lifted the arm gently while Ienzo brought a splint and several bandages out from the depths of the bag.

A sharp crack resonated around the room as Ienzo set the bones back into place before placing the splint and wrapping it securely into position with the bandages.

They stepped back and Aeleus turned to Master Ansem. "He should be fine. He needs to rest but he'll be able to walk around within a couple of days. Though the arm will take several weeks to fully heal."

**۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞**

**Apologies if you believe any of the facts are skewed. It **_**is**_** a fan fiction of course so I may have changed a few things to allow the story to work. Though the majority should be reasonably accurate seeing as the fanfic is supposed to be out the canon XD**

**And if I happen to be wrong about the facts pertaining to the arm breakage I apologise, I've never broken my arm so I don't really know all the details on healing it and whatnot XD**


	2. Chapter 1 A past really lost

**Author's note: This chapter takes place three years after the prologue. If anyone does read this, I hope you enjoy it :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein, nor do I own the trailer for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. (Wish I did *mutter grumble*)**

**Chapter 1 A past really lost?**

The six apprentices were gathered in the library on one of their rare free study sessions. Dilan was busy researching a spell to create small tornadoes. Braig was cleaning his favourite gun, a strange silver and purple piece which fired small arrows. Ienzo and Aeleus were both researching new medicines., the elder attempting to keep some of the more gruesome procedures away from the younger male.

Even, at age thirty-nine, was Master Ansem's oldest apprentice. He had been in the castle for over twenty three years. His pale blond hair was tied into its customary ponytail at the nape of his neck. His green eyes were ablaze with enthusiasm as he read book after book on the subject of gummi ships and interworld travel.

The newest apprentice, twenty-eight year old Xehanort, rescued only three years ago, was keenly reading one of Master Ansem's hypotheses on the "Darkness of the heart." He, much like their master had become enthralled, perhaps even _obsessed_ with the mystery of Darkness in a person's heart.

He stood out from the rest of them, both physically and with his superior intellect. His rich caramel skin contrasted with his stark, white hair. Chocolate eyes alight with curiosity. These uncommon features set him aside as an outsider in Radiant Garden, though his superior intellect soon set him aside as the Lord's favourite apprentice.

The door burst open to reveal Master Ansem himself, his usually preened blond hair in complete disarray and his neatly trimmed goatee overgrown. His amber eyes were burning with an unrivalled determination.

The apprentices all immediately turned their attention towards their tutor.

"My apprentices, I wish to perform an experiment to probe the depths of a person's heart. I must know about the 'Darkness of the heart'. I feel it is important somehow. However, I need an apprentice."

Not one of the apprentices were surprised by this announcement, nor by the fact that Xehanort's voice was heard a moment later.

"It would be an honour to assist Master Ansem."

The Lord hid his frown. 'Is it really a good idea to allow Xehanort to be the subject for this experiment? It is true that he has shown some extraordinary talent, even more so than any of my other apprentices and they are _all_ well beyond the usual limit of human intelligence! Though that being said, there is a chance that some of Xehanort's lost memories could be recovered in the process. That would be a remarkable breakthrough! Though, is it enough? Is it worth the risk?'

Ansem turned to his student. "Thank you Xehanort. If you would come to my study tomorrow morning, following breakfast, we shall perform the experiment then."

With that, the man turned and left the room, leaving his apprentices to ponder his motives.

'I hope I've made the right choice here.'

Arriving back at his study, master Ansem took out a small journal and began to write.

"_**Secret Ansem Report 1**_

_My efforts these many years have come to fruition; with the world I govern having become a paradise worthy of being called "Radiant Garden." _

_Nurtured by the pure water that is the source of life, fragrant flowers bloom in abundance, and the people face each day with hopeful smiles._

_But where there is light, darkness also lurks._

_As noted in my earlier reports, I must solve the mystery of this "darkness of the heart." This paradise depends on it._

_I shall perform an experiment to probe the depths of a person's heart. One of my own apprentices, Xehanort, has volunteered to be a subject._

_This young man has served me well since I nursed him back from death's door some years ago._

_He had lost all his memories at the time, but later showed remarkable intellectual curiosity and readily absorbed my teachings, gaining deep wisdom. Any mental immaturity was surely due to his young age._

_If I explore Xehanort's heart with psychological tests, I may be able to recall the past locked away within. My apprentice Even has also shown great interest in Xehanort's memories._

_But is he really the right subject?_

_Xehanort does exhibit extraordinary talents..._

_Too extraordinary..._

_Perhaps they are even superhuman." _

Breakfast the next morning was a hurried affair for the castle's master. He was eager to return to his study to begin the experiment.

However, throughout the course of breakfast, Xehanort had failed to appear. Master Ansem grew worried that perhaps Xehanort had fallen ill.

Ansem felt himself slump slightly as disappointment welled within him. Naturally he was concerned for his apprentice but he couldn't prevent the bitter thoughts entering his mind.

He decided while walking back to his office, that he would check his morning business and then call in on Xehanort to see how the young man was feeling.

He was of course astounded, to find Xehanort sitting patiently on one of the three chairs outside the Lord's office.

Upon noticing his Master's arrival Xehanort stood and bowed smartly. "Master Ansem."

Ansem regarded the young man with curiosity for a moment. He re-evaluated the wiseness of performing such an experiment on the young man. Xehanort was indeed one of the _most_ intellectually stimulating people he had had ever had the pleasure to meet but the younger man still had his underlying fragilities. There was a risk that, instead of uncovering his lost memories, another side effect could occur. The sheer intensity of the probing could cause the young man's mind to implode, destroying whatever fragile hold on reality the man possessed. Losing one's memory was, after all, a daunting and possibly traumatic experience.

Master Ansem shook off his minds' discussion and smiled kindly.

"Xehanort. I'm glad to see you are well."

He pushed the heavy wooden door open and stepped inside, holding it open for Xehanort to enter. "Well, shall we begin?"

After the young man had stepped inside, Ansem released his hold on the door, it swinging shut behind them.

The ovular room was a pleasant, comfortable size, though the large desk and numerous filing cabinets lining the walls gave it a cramped appearance.

Bookshelves filled almost every wall space, their shelves beginning to buckle under the sheer weight of the volumes.

The large white desk was situated in the middle of the room, it's surface littered with numerous books, pages and scientific instruments. The Master's large, pointed, white chair stood patiently behind it, seeming oddly empty with no-one perched upon it. Its shape mimicked the carvings upon the wooden door's surface. Charts lined the walls surfaces, data on the hearts of the world, the human heart, the connection between worlds and darkness itself.

A simple white chair stood by the desk, a glass orb upon a steel plinth stood beside it. Xehanort took the seat, arranging his long limbs into a more comfortable position. In the year since Lord Ansem had rescued him, mindless and weak, from death's door, the young man had grown muscular and strong of body as well as mind.

Master Ansem flicked a small silver switch on the orb's plinth, the orb itself beginning to pulse a soft, forget-me-not blue.

Ansem then collected three cables from his desk, each of them with a small, white disc attached to one end.

One of these discs, Master Ansem attached to Xehanort's left temple. Another was fastened to the centre of his forehead.

Master Ansem turned to Xehanort. "You're going to need to unbutton your shirt."

Xehanort did as requested, unbuttoning his crisp, white shirt. The caramel chest beneath was strong and muscular, faint, almost unnoticeable scars all that remained of the lacerations that had sapped his strength three years ago.

Ansem gently ran his fingers over the man's chest, searching for the faint 'thump' of his heartbeat. Upon locating it, he attached the final disc into position just above the young man's heart.

He then plugged the wires into the orb, one by one. Xehanort giving a short jerk each time as a sharp snap of energy ran along them, shocking his flesh.

Ansem turned back to Xehanort, eying him warily. "Are you sure you want to do this Xehanort?"

The young man nodded. "Absolutely Master Ansem."

Nodding, the Lord flicked a second switch on the plinth of the orb, turning back with a notepad and pen to note down Xehanort's reactions.

The young man gasped as the discs became a numbing cold before rapidly switching to a burning heat. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in a silent scream as steel spikes emerged from the discs, burying into his flesh and sinking through to reach his heart and brain.

Master Ansem flicked the final switch as images started violently flashing on the orb's surface. A small red light indicated that the orb was recording each one of the images. It was key that none were overlooked.

The Lord's brow creased with worry as Xehanort began convulsing violently in the chair. The scientific part of his mind told him that Xehanort volunteered for this, he accepted it in the interests of science, while the rational part of his mind told him that Xehanort had no idea what the experiment would entail. He entered into the agreement blindly. The rational part of his mind also told him that if he didn't stop this, he may lose his favourite apprentice.

The blurry images began to sharpen, at which Xehanort's silent scream became vocalised, a horrifying, ear-splitting sound tearing itself from the young man's throat. Xehanort began writhing in agony, the pain dragging him out of the chair and onto the floor where the convulsions gained force. At the sharp crack of a bone breaking, Ansem flicked the switch to shut the machine off. Xehanort left panting heavily on the ground.

Regaining the power of speech, Xehanort glanced up at Ansem. "W-wh-what was that?"

Ansem crouched down to help the man back into his chair.

"There was a chance that side effects of the experiment could occur. One of which was that the experiment could trigger the retrieval of the memories buried deep within your heart. Not lost, merely hidden. I believe the images you saw were flashes of your hidden memories. If we were to delve deeper into your heart then the images would become clearer and we would learn more ab-"

His speech was cut off as Xehanort lunged at him, gripping his shoulders tightly. "Please Master Ansem! You must try again. I want to see more! I need to! This may be the only chance for me to know who I was. Who I am!"

The toll the experiment had taken on Xehanort was obvious by the fact that the young man was using his Master to support himself, struggling to stand on his own two legs.

Ansem shook his head slowly. "Xehanort, you know I can't. You need time to recover. It is too dangerous to attempt this again until you have fully recovered."

"But Master Ansem, I am fine!"

"No you aren't Xehanort, go to your room and rest."

"But I am alright!"

"You can barely stand by yourself!." The Lord regretted raising his voice instantly. "You must understand Xehanort, if we were to attempt this again now, you would without a doubt be killed."

Xehanort nodded slowly in acceptance. There was just no point in arguing with the man when his mind was made up.

He released his grip from Master Ansem's shoulders, immediately regretting doing so as he sank to the floor. Master Ansem helped him back into the chair.

"You see? Please allow yourself to recover first Xehanort."

He stepped over to his desk and tapped onto the intercom.

"Master Ansem? Do you require something?" The deep voice was unmistakably Aeleus'.

"Yes Aeleus. I have Xehanort here with me. The experiment has taken quite a significant physical toll on him. He is lacking strength at the moment. I was hoping you would come and escort him back to his room to rest and check him over to make sure there is no lasting damage."

A few seconds of silence followed before Aeleus' voice crackled out of the speakers once more.

"Certainly Master Ansem. I will be there within minutes."

"Thank you Aeleus."

"Master Ansem." Ansem turned back to the intercom.

"Yes Aeleus?"

"Can I ask what I am to check for?" The hesitance was obvious on Aeleus' voice.

Ansem paused a moment. He wasn't entirely keen on the idea of discussing Xehanort's possible weaknesses with him still in earshot.

"I shall fill you in when you arrive Aeleus."

"Understood Sir. I shall head over there immediately."

The intercom crackled slightly as the conversation died.

Xehanort, however, hadn't even noticed the conversation. His thoughts were running rampant.

'I must know about my past.'

'I _will_ know about my past!'

**Alrighty! Just to clarify, yes, I did make Xehanort unbutton his shirt purely because I wanted to imagine it while typing :D (It's my fanfiction I can do whatever the hell I want!) **

**In the original version of this, I had the trailer for Birth by Sleep as the images from Xehanort's memory. However I got irritated with all the different theories that made the whole section redundant so I just decided to give up and eradicate the whole part. (And at any rate, I never believed that theory about Xehanort being Vanitas in the first place :/) So, yeah, feel free to make up any images you want there.**

**P.S Vanitas is the masked apprentice of Master Xehanort in Birth by Sleep, for anyone who wasn't sure who I was talking about there.**

**Weeell, hope someone enjoys 8)**


	3. Chapter 2 The true danger revealed

**AN: This chapter takes place a year after the previous :)**

**Chapter 2 The true danger revealed**

Aeleus strode briskly down the long hallway. Reaching a small, square room with several hallways leading off in different directions, he chose the hall to his right. He turned the corner and was faced with a large wooden door, symbols carved into its surface. He raised his large hand, knocking twice with the two short booms echoing up and down the hall.  
"Come in." The voice was faint, muffled by the thick wood.  
Aeleus opened the door slowly, cautiously. He had never liked visiting Master Ansem's study. To tell the truth, Master Ansem made him uneasy. Aeleus suspected that it was due to the circumstances of their meeting.

For as long as he could remember, Aeleus had been living on the streets. His parents hadn't wanted him. He'd realised that when they left him in an abandoned warehouse near the outskirts of the city. Aeleus remembered sitting in the cold and the dark, hugging his moogle toy to his chest, waiting for his Mother to come and lift him into her arms.

Waiting, always waiting.

Aeleus quickly adapted to life on the streets, stealing his food, sleeping in boxes which only partially sheltered him from harsh weather. It was no life for a child.

It'd been during one of his foraging trips that he'd met Ienzo. He'd found the little boy standing in the middle of an alley, rain plastering his dark hair to his face, tears unnoticeable in the raging downpour.

The boy's mother had just been killed in front of his eyes. His mother had been killed by his father.

The man had been suffering with an alcohol addiction for all of Ienzo's life, yet his wife stood by him and cared for their child. The man had stumbled in drunkenly one evening when Ienzo's mother had been putting her little boy to bed. As she reached the top of the stairs he flung an arm out to size her by the wrist, causing her to lose her grip and send the little boy to land harshly on the ground. He twisted his wife's arm, laughing at the loud 'snap' that echoed through the room, almost drowned out by the woman's scream. Ienzo began to cry. The little boy sat, crying, as his mother was slapped, kicked and finally flung down the stairs, landing on her back with a loud 'crack', blood pouring from the corner of her mouth, eyes staring blankly up the stairs. The man had then turned to his young son, a cruel leer painting his features. Seizing him by the back of his collar, he raised the little boy to his level. The boy was screaming and thrashing, one small fist managing to catch the man in the jaw. His father cried out and dropped the boy. Ienzo took off rapidly.

Rubbing his throbbing jaw, the man raised a hand to strike the boy but found only an empty space. Glancing down the stairs, he saw the boy tugging at the door to the street. Cursing, he staggered down the stairs, reaching the door just as Ienzo escaped out into the street.

Ienzo had ran, ignoring the battering rain. Ignoring the fact that he didn't know where he was going.

He just ran.

He turned in an alley, falling to his knees and succumbing to tears again.

He let out a strangled yelp as his collar was seized from behind. He thrashed again, struggling against the tight grip.

A heavy 'thunk' rang through the alley and the grip on his shirt was released moments later.

"Hey kid. You okay?"

Ienzo turned his head, wide, storm-blue eyes meeting heavy cobalt. A tall boy with copper hair stood next to him, a large wooden plank still held loosely in one hand. Ienzo's wide eyes fell on the figure lying beside the tall boy. His arm was outstretched and blood was running from the side of his head.

Ienzo said nothing. He blinked before falling to his knees and screaming, his hands tangled in his hair.

He blacked out as strong arms wrapped around him.

Aeleus soon learned about Ienzo. The kid was a genius!

He would plan out the small crimes necessary to keep them alive and the two would carry them out flawlessly.

The kid felt like the little brother Aeleus didn't know if he had and he would give his all to protect the younger boy.

The boy had chosen with him and they'd been inseparable since. Where Aeleus went, Ienzo was always at his side.

The same applied when Ienzo was made an apprentice. He'd been caught trying to pick Master Ansem's pocket, of course not realising that the man was the ruler of that world. Ansem had marched him towards the police stations, Ienzo pleading his case the entire way.

It was such a shame how his life had panned out. The boy could have been a barrister, as fervently as he was defending himself.

Ansem himself was impressed with the sheer capacity of the boy's mental abilities. He could be no older than nine and he was already on the level with some of Radiant Garden's top defence attorneys.

Aeleus had seized his chance when the Lord had stopped walking and attempted to free Ienzo but Ansem was not so willing to just let the boy leave.

He was determined to enlist him as an apprentice.

He assured the two that Ienzo would be taken care of and would even live at the castle. Ienzo, much to the irritation of Master Ansem, refused to go anywhere without Aeleus.

Master Ansem wouldn't deny that Aeleus was intelligent but in comparison to Ienzo, his intellect was commonplace.

Eventually Master Ansem gave in and the two boys found themselves apprentices to Ansem the Wise, Lord of Radiant Garden.

Master Ansem had already taken two apprentices on board when the two arrived in the castle.

Even's knowledge of biochemistry was inconceivable. It felt like he knew more than scientists twice his age. He also had a skill for ice related magic.

Emerald eyes seemed to glow with knowledge and his short blond hair fell clumsily around his jaw, unless tied back so as not to get in the way of any experiments.

Braig, however, was the exact opposite of what you would imagine an apprentice of the Lord of Radiant Garden to be like. While Even dressed in smart shirts and khaki trousers, Braig was often found in ripped jeans and leather, often with some form of chains adorning them. His long chestnut hair was askew over his face and two hawk-like yellow eyes seemed to stare right into one's soul. Despite this somewhat alarming feature, the apprentice was a warm and playful person. The type of person who breezed through life with no worries.

Neither Even nor Braig had experienced anything like what Ienzo or Aeleus had lived for years and so never asked the two for details of their lives. Even had come from a high status family, who had applied large sums of money for their son to get the best education needed for him to become an apprentice to Master Ansem.

Braig's family had been slightly lower in social status than Even's. Though they were still high class enough for the unruly Braig to be considered a discredit to them and so, once he had turned 18, they had disowned him. Master Ansem had encountered Braig in a bar. Or rather, Braig had been thrown out of a bar for drinking and Master Ansem had taken pity on the beaten man, deciding to help him. Braig had soon proved to be the type of instinctive, decisive apprentice Ansem had been looking for.

"Ah, Aeleus. Do you require something?" Ansem looked up at the tall figure, pausing in his research to glimpse the young man's face.

"I came to inform you of the completion of the basement laboratory Master Ansem." Aeleus stated simply yet articulately.

Ansem nodded. "Thank you Aeleus. I shall be along to survey it shortly. If you would permit me a few moments to finish my research?"

Aeleus bowed. "Of course Master Ansem." He then stepped out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

Ansem sighed, glancing at the small hearts, floating in glass cylinders.

'Something about building this laboratory just doesn't seem, right? It's like I'm missing something.'

He thought back to the day, four weeks previous, when Ienzo had come to him with a request for a new laboratory.

_The young male had stepped calmly into the office and awaited Ansem's attention._

_"Yes Ienzo? Do you require something?"_

_Ienzo brushed a strand of his thick, black hair from its position framing his face, behind his ear. "As a matter of fact Master Ansem, I have come on the behalf of all your apprentices. We request that a laboratory be built in the castle basement for us to use, at our discretion, to complete our research."_

_Ansem surveyed his youngest, and one of his more brilliant, apprentices for a moment. "What is it that you require the laboratory for Ienzo?"_

_A look of what could have been presumed irritation passed over the young man's face. "As I said before, Master Ansem, we require the laboratory to conclude our research. The research you began on the hearts and heart of the worlds."_

_Ansem, sensing that he may finally get the answers he had been desiring for so long, needed little persuasion and immediately put the finest contractors in Radiant Garden onto the task of building a large laboratory in his basement._

Ansem sighed to himself gently before rising to his feet and straightening his robes. He left the room to find Aeleus waiting patiently outside.

"Aeleus. Is there something else you need?"

"Apologies Master Ansem. I neglected to tell you that the contractors have made a change in their plans."

Ansem's eyebrows rose in surprise. "A change?"

Aeleus nodded. "As I understand it, the contractors believe it would be best if the laboratory was connected to the town's security mainframe."

"Ah. They shall be requiring access to my office then."

Aeleus nodded again. "I shall leave it to them to fully explain. Excuse me Master Ansem." Aeleus soon vanished along the corridor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Xehanort strode down the castle's main corridor, whistling to himself. That on itself was frightening.

Xehanort was _never_ cheerful.

In fact, the man rarely showed any form of emotion.

He knew this unnerved his fellow apprentices. Though his way with words could persuade them to do anything. Xehanort could bend anyone to his will.

And he would. The others would help him surpass their master.

He would surpass that blind fool Ansem and unlock all the secrets of the heart.

Xehanort smiled in smug self-gratification. He had to suppress the urge to laugh.

'I will learn of my past Master Ansem! I will unlock the secrets of the hearts before you can even begin! I will surpass you and show how Superior to you I really am!'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The young maid hummed to herself as she dusted the thick oak panels of Master Ansem's study.

She jumped back when a sharp click sounded. Her eyes widened as an entire panel of the wall simply vanished.

What lay beyond was a glass-floored corridor, suspended at a great height.

Nervously clutching her feather duster and knowing that she shouldn't intrude upon what doesn't concern her, the young maid, Maria, hesitantly stepped into the suspended corridor.

Turning a corner, she came upon a large room containing what appeared to be a huge computer.

The young woman ran her fingers gently over the keys,

"WARNING!" The young woman yelped and leapt back, clutching her chest.

The warnings continued. Spying an open door, the maid ran to it, the door sliding shut behind her.

Maria sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes.

They snapped open again as the small room began to move downwards.

Maria clutched the duster so tightly, the handle cracked with the strain, as the doors slid open to reveal the apprentices' private laboratory.

A large hole in the floor housed a platform leading down to the lower laboratory levels.

The young woman was frozen, eyes wide, as shrieks and screams of agony reached her ears.

Hurried footsteps soon joined them as a man with coppery brown hair came sprinting up the platform. His cat-like green eyes were wide in terror and darting in frenzied directions.

Dilan soon appeared behind him, seizing him by the arms, the man screaming.

"LET ME GO! YOU HAVE TO LET ME GO!" Dilan tried dragging him down the stairs. "YOU CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS."

The man turned his eyes on Maria. "PLEASE MISS. HELP ME!"

Dilan's eyes snapped onto Maria, standing dumbly in the doorway of the elevator, eyes wide and a hand covering her mouth as though she was going to vomit.

Dilan soon turned away, dragging the shrieking man back down the platform.

Maria released the breath she'd been holding. But why had Dilan ignored her? Wasn't he worried she would tell Master Ansem?

The hand that landed on her shoulder gave her answer. Turning wide blue eyes to the face of the new arrival, they met with cold brown.

Xehanort's handsome face was livid.

Drawing back a caramel hand, the apprentice slapped the woman harshly across the face, seizing both her wrists in a vice-like grip before she could attempt to recover from the slap.

She cried out as he tugged her down the platform.

They walked quickly through the narrow corridor, passing dozens of small cells, people huddled at the far sides, staring fearfully out the small windows.

Xehanort stopped at the final room, flinging the door open and all but _throwing_ Maria inside where she was instantly seized by Aeleus.

Maria noted that even the other apprentices were afraid of Xehanort, especially now they were seeing him show emotion.

Xehanort calmed his expression and turned to Dilan. "You recovered the escapee?"

Dilan nodded, glad for a change of subject. "He's in an isolated cell now. Double seals."

Xehanort turned away. Not even bothering to acknowledge Dilan's statement.

"Where do we stand?"

Ienzo answered Xehanort's question, a clipboard in hand and a pencil tucked behind a small ear. "We are ready to attempt the injection of darkness into a heart."

Xehanort nodded. "Good. And the subject?"

"We decided a purer heart would be the most suitable to test." Even's voice joined the room, the door swinging shut behind him. He clutched the arm of a small girl, her brown eyes wide in fear.

"Dude. That's a little sick." Braig jumped down from the ceiling rafters. "I mean it's a brat man!"

Xehanort turned to him. "But just think of it Braig. With the knowledge we gain from these experiments, we could save thousands of lives."

Braig waved a hand. "Whatever you say dude." He slung his favourite rifle over his shoulder and leant against the wall casually.

Brushing aside Braig's outburst, Xehanort nodded to Even, who began strapping the small girl to a vertical slab, her doe-like eyes never seeming to blink.

"Xehanort." Aeleus addressed him calmly, his grip on his captive never wavering. "What is the woman doing here?"

"She was upstairs. She saw Dilan obtain the escaped subject."

Maria glared at Xehanort, wrenching herself out of her stupor. "Subject? These are people! Innocent people! What have you been doing to them?"

Xehanort ignored her. He addressed Ienzo. "Are you ready?"

A nod was all the answer he was given.

Maria's eyes darted between Xehanort as he raised his hand and the little girl who had begun to cry.

The bindings on the child were so tight, blood had already been coaxed from her body. Tubes and pipes were seemingly haphazardly stuck into her body. The largest one appeared to be embedded in her heart.

"What are you-?" Maria's voice trailed off as the child's pleading eyes locked onto her own.

Xehanort lowered his arm and Ienzo flung the switch.

It appeared as though they were pumping smoke into the little girl's body.

Maria screamed, tugging violently at Aeleus' grip.

"LET ME GO! STOP THIS!" Tears streamed down her face as the girl's body began to convulse. "SHE'S A CHILD!"

Maria stared at each of the apprentices.

Even was frowning, his mouth a taut line. Ienzo's expression read of displeasure. Dilan and Aeleus both stared dead ahead, expressions unreadable. Braig was still leaning against the wall, a nonchalant expression on his face.

And Xehanort?

Xehanort wore a smirk of victory. Maria felt sick just looking at his face.

The girl suddenly fell still, eyes wide and glassy, mouth agape.

The apprentices sighed. "Another failure."

Maria slumped. Aeleus released her arms and she fell to her knees.

"Failure? You-you just killed an innocent person, a _child_, for nothing. _For nothing!_"

A sickening squelch drew their eyes back to the child's corpse.

As a spine-chilling scream was torn from the child's throat, it dawned on them all that she wasn't dead.

Blood sprayed the walls and floor as a clawed arm tore its way through her chest. Maria turned her head away, as the child's chest was cleaved open, blood spattering on the maid's face.

A small, black creature climbed out from the girl's chest and fell to the floor, where it began scuttling towards Even, the closest apprentice.

"SEIZE IT!" Xehanort's command echoed through the room.

There was a scuffle before Dilan managed to capture the creature in a large jar.

Maria ran to the child, and covered her mouth in a mixture of horror and disgust. There was nothing left but the girl's legs and her angelic face, now frozen in that tortured scream. Maria rested a hand on the girl's pale cheek, it was so cold.

It was like the child had never breathed.

She was shoved aside as Even removed the girl from the slab, dragging her corpse away by an ankle. The once white puffball socks were stained crimson.

Maria turned away, her face in her hands.

Xehanort's voice rang out again. "I wish to test our new acquaintance. Aeleus, strap the maid down."

Maria spun. She didn't have a chance to even take a step before she was grabbed and held down by Aeleus. Maria screamed, thrashing wildly. Braig rushed over to secure the straps around the woman.

Tears streamed down her face. "You're monsters! I hope you all burn in hell for what you've done!" Her sobs grew heavier as Dilan approached with the jar. He removed the lid and placed the jar top-down on the ground, shuffling back slightly before kicking it over with his foot and jogging back to a safe distance.

Maria continued to cry.

The creature's antennae twitched. It turned to Maria.

Maria's tears stopped as she locked eyes with her killer.

She turned her face to the apprentices once again. "When the time comes for you to be judged, rest assured, there shall be no mercy!"

An agonised scream ripped itself from her throat as the creature lunged, sinking an entire arm into her chest. The woman choked, blood pouring from her mouth in streams. The creature twitched again before pulling a glowing pink heart from her body.

Maria stared at the creature as it appeared to almost worship the glowing heart.

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in an inhuman screech, her body fading to smoke.

The apprentices stared in awe. Xehanort was scribbling furiously.

Another black creature was left in place of the maid's body, its luminous eyes staring around the room, staring at each apprentice in turn before launching itself at Xehanort.

The man barely batted an eyelid, instead knocking the creature aside with a book.

"Quickly, seal them beneath the castle."

**AN: Yeahhhh. 7 pages may be a good place to leave it. That and I fear I may reduce people to vomiting if I continue with this XD**

**At any rate, I hope at least one person enjoys this 8)**


	4. Chapter 3 The door

**Chapter 3 – **

Quick, heavy strokes as his pen rocketed across the page. He was so close.

The creatures created in the experiments were unlike anything he'd ever seen. There was something bugging him about them though.

"Are they people who lost their hearts, or incarnations of darkness?"

Xehanort's brow creased as he mulled over the possibilities, trying to think of an origin for the creatures.

One thing he knew was that the creatures weren't burdened by emotions. The emotionless creatures felt nothing as they ripped people apart, be they man, woman or even child.

"Heartless." Xehanort muttered.

His chocolate-brown eyes widened and a chuckle escaped his lips.

Heartless. Those who lack hearts.

~*~*~*~

Xehanort's boots beat an uneven rhythm, upon the marble floor. He was headed for the Castle basement. No-one went down there anymore, which was both fortunate and unfortunate.

Pausing to allow the floor panel, leading to the underground laboratory, to open, Xehanort pondered the events of the past few days. The other apprentices had taken a back seat on the experiments, allowing him to head in any direction he saw fit.

That was not saying the other apprentices had gotten cold feet. No, they were all still as ruthlessly desperate to unlock the secrets of the heart. They had just identified Xehanort's violent determination to find the answers, regardless of any obstacles that barred his path, deciding it would be best to let Xehanort take the lead and follow him from there.

Walking past the numerous white cells that still housed a few captured subjects, Xehanort proceeded to the end of the hallway. The door led to the lowest depths of the castle basement. The place he had sealed the Heartless into.

Taking a deep breath and contemplating that it might have been wiser to bring Braig and one of his arrowguns, Xehanort swung the door open, stepped inside and slammed the door shut once again.

Glancing around him, he continued down the narrow staircase, slightly perturbed that he couldn't identify the presence of any of the creatures.

Reaching the final basement door, Xehanort peered through the bars, noticing the creatures swarming around the large room, yet avoiding one specific spot. Xehanort had placed a deceased subject into the room overnight to observe the creatures' reactions. They appeared to be blatantly ignoring the corpse. The corpse itself appeared completely untouched.

An idea forming in his head, Xehanort swiftly climbed the stairs again and stepped out through the door. Choosing a cell at random, he muttered a few words under his breath, waving his hand over the door, which immediately swung open, the three inhabitants shrinking back against the far wall.

An elderly man, possibly around his early seventies cowered beside two small children. One, a young girl, her bright blue eyes, shining wide with fear, attempted to hide behind her fiery red locks. The small boy beside her, also blue eyed but his hair a murky copper colour. The girl clutched the boy to her.

Advancing upon the three people, Xehanort seized the boy by the arm and dragged him away from the other two people.

The girl shrieked, latching onto the boy's arm. "NO! DON'T TAKE HIM! PLEASE!"

Xehanort continued dragging, ignoring the girl.

"TAKE ME INSTEAD! PLEASE DON'T HURT HIM!"

Xehanort cocked a brow at that. Glancing down at the girl, who was clutching the boy's arm, tears streaming down her cheeks, he grabbed her arm.

The girl's eyes widened as he pushed her back into the room and dragged the boy through the door, sealing it behind them.

As he pulled the boy through the corridor, Xehanort could hear the girl banging her hands against the door, screaming.

The boy tensed as they reached the door to the basement. Clearly he knew what was down here. Xehanort noted that.

Growing impatient when the boy refused to move any closer, Xehanort opened the door and threw the boy through, forcing him to fall down the steep staircase.

Calmly closing the door behind him, Xehanort followed the boy down the stairs.

He reached the bottom to find the boy curled in a ball, as far from the door as he could get.

Lifting him by the arm, Xehanort dragged the boy towards the door, noting with interest that the creatures inside appeared to perk up at their presence.

Acting quickly, Xehanort opened the door and launched the boy into the room, the creatures immediately leaping upon him.

Ignoring the petrified screams, Xehanort took his chance to dash into the room and pull the corpse of the deceased subject out of the room.

Slamming the door shut, Xehanort noticed a wispy black smoke streaming through the door frame. He'd slammed the door shut on one of the creatures, killing it instantly.

Glancing back into the room, he noted that the creatures were no longer massing around the boy; they were swarming around the room once again. What's more, there no longer was a boy.

Xehanort's hypothesis was that the boy, having had something absorbed from him by the creatures, had become one himself.

Xehanort froze as a new thought came to him. The Heartless have no _hearts_ and appear to _take_ something from people, causing the people to become like them.

In order for a human to become a Heartless, they have to lose their heart!

What if the Heartless were _both_ the remains of the people _and_ incarnations of Darkness?

What if the Heartless are the embodiment of the Darkness in a person's heart?

Smiling at the new possibility, Xehanort made a decision to test the behaviour of the creatures.

Choosing a suitable subject, Xehanort created a small box, appearing to be formed purely from some impenetrable force, around the creature.

~*~*~*~*~

Xehanort released the creature in the lower levels, knowing there were few to no people down there.

Once the glowing, white cage had been removed, the creature just sat.

Mildly disheartened that the experiment had proved a failure, Xehanort moved to reform the Guard box.

The Heartless twitched an antenna before zooming off down the hallway. After a moment of realising what had happened, Xehanort took off after it, surprised when the creature took off towards the basement levels instead of heading to the upper levels where it would find more hearts.

He followed it down numerous corridors and down several flights of stairs. Reaching the floor panel that led to the laboratory, the creature paused, clawing at the ground.

Xehanort opened the panel, the creature tumbling through to the ground below.

The walkway down appeared a moment later, Xehanort running down after the creature.

Believing the creature would head towards the laboratory, Xehanort ran in that direction, only having to skid to a stop as the creature rapidly changed direction, heading into one of the storage rooms.

Xehanort followed after it curiously. There was nothing in the room except some scientific apparatus and dissection gear.

The door swung open, clanging gently against the brushed steel frame. Xehanort simply stared, a slight frown on his face, as the antennae of the Heartless began vibrating violently, a low hum being emitted.

Xehanort resisted the temptation to leap backwards in shock as a large white door materialised out of thin air.

The door itself was bizarre, tall but topped with three points. An odd shape for a door really. A soft, white glow radiated from its surface.

Also, it would appear that the humming was coming from the door itself.

Xehanort stepped towards the door, mystified as a large keyhole appeared in the door's surface. Frowning, he attempted to open the door, mildly surprised when the door began to swing open.

His chocolate brown eyes were wide in a mixture of horror and amazement as he stared through the door.

Xehanort slammed the door shut, ignoring the pull coming from within him.

~*~*~*~*~

An immense meteor shower lit the sky that evening. Xehanort watched it from his room.

"Now that is curious."

~*~*~*~*~

Three days later, Xehanort was still trying to figure out what the mass of energy was.

He paced around his small room, thinking.

"Ok, what do I know? I know that the Heartless are taking hearts from people, causing those people to become Heartless themselves. But wait, if Heartless are the embodiment of Darkness within a person's heart, then the person themselves does not become a Heartless? Then what happens to the person's body?

"No matter, that's irrelevant at this point." Sweeping a hand through his snowy hair, Xehanort sighed.

"Right. Ok. So the Heartless are taking hearts. They also seem to seek that immense core of energy. What is their interest in energy? Why do they-? Oh. Wow. That energy is a _heart!_ The heart of this world! But, if that is the case, what will they do with the world's heart?"

His mind completely overrun with his new theories and hypotheses, Xehanort decided to pay a visit to Even.

Arriving at the elder apprentice's room, Xehanort lifted a hand to knock.

"Enter."

Xehanort pushed the door open to find Even at a small worktable, numerous pieces of odd material lying upon the surface.

"Even? Can I ask what you're working on?"

Even lifted his head to stare at the other apprentice. Younger than him, yet leading them all.

His forest-green eyes peered over the top of his spectacles.

"Hello Xehanort. I'm analysing the meteor rock that fell in the shower a few days ago. Though it is most bizarre. It isn't like rock at all."

Xehanort frowned and stepped closer to inspect a sample. "May I?"

Even nodded, allowing Xehanort to examine a sample more closely.

"It…bends?"

Even nodded. "It is a most bizarre substance. There is no record of such a substance anywhere in the library. I've even searched the archives and found nothing. I think we can safely say that this substance is completely new to this world. But there's more. May I see that sample Xehanort?"

Handing the sample back to Even, Xehanort watched with amazement as Even pushed it towards another sample, the two samples joined together with a small jump.

Xehanort lifted the sample to find the bond was seamless, if he hadn't seen it happen he'd have believed that there had never originally been two samples.

"How very curious. I wonder what else lies in our atmosphere? I wish I could go and find out!"

Even turned to the distracted apprentice. "Sorry, what was that Xehanort?"

Re-gathering his thoughts, Xehanort responded with a small shake of his head. "Nothing."

~*~*~*~*~

The apprentices gathered in the laboratory in the late evening, to find Xehanort already there with his hair askew and a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. Aeleus was with him, putting the final touches to an enormous machine.

Ienzo stepped forward. "Xehanort? Is something wrong?"

"No, no, no! Something is very good! Aeleus and I have just finished putting the final touches to the machine!"

Braig's eyebrows rose at this. "You finished it? But four hours ago, you didn't have a clue how to continue!"

"That's because I didn't have _this!_" Xehanort held up a small piece of paper, littered with numerous calculations. "Ienzo brought me this after watching the Heartless stealing a heart. What we lacked was the ability to produce enough energy to power the creation of the Heartless. I had a thought about how we could power the creation and after looking at Even's notes on the analysis of the meteor material, I realised that we could channel the power used in the material's bonding process!"

Xehanort was lying, he was harnessing the power from the heart of the world but the others didn't need to know about that just yet. He wanted to run a few tests before he let the other apprentices at it.

The other apprentices remained silent. Except Braig.

"Well let's crank this mother up!"

Aelaeus uncrossed his arms to pull the heavy lever at his left.

The machine burst into life with a dull whirring sound, cogs turning and steam billowing from pipes and tubes.

Xehanort leaned forwards in his excitement, leaning towards a large glass bulb attached to the end of a particularly large tube.

The apprentices all jumped back as a small, black creature flew from the tube to land in the glass bulb.

It antennae twitched and its luminous seemed to stare into the recesses of their souls.

All eyes were drawn to the large, black and red insignia on the creatures front.

Xehanort stepped forward. "Gentlemen, I give you, the Emblems."


	5. Chapter 4 Apprentices come traitors

Master Ansem admired his suit. The red, velvet fitted snugly around his lean frame, gold trimmings accenting both the velvet and his prestigious title.

Tonight would be the night that he would unveil his apprentices to Radiant Garden at the annual gala.

It was one of his favourite nights of the year. All his people would flock together and celebrate another successful year.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Raising his toasting glass high, Lord Ansem smiled at his excited guests.

"I want to thank you all for celebrating with me this evening but now it is time for a most important toast. This may well be one of the happiest moments I should experience, both as a mentor and as a father. While I have no children of my own, I feel that the six young men that inhabit this castle with me are my greatest gift. They are all like sons to me and nothing could make me prouder than unveiling their magnificent discovery to my loyal subjects. So please, join me in a toast to my magnificent apprentices."

The cheers and applause rang through the room as the ballroom's double doors swung open to allow the Apprentices access.

However, there were no apprentices waiting to be granted access.

A gasp rippled through the crowd.

Ansem however, raised a hand.

"My apologies everyone. They must be so engrossed in their research that the time has slipped their minds. I will be but a moment. Please, continue with the celebrations!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Aelaeus! Retrieve the creature, quickly!"

The large man sped into action, racing after the agile creature.

"Braig! If Aelaeus fails to capture the creature you must eliminate it before it can pose a threat!"

Braig dashed after Aelaeus, following him out of the room.

Xehanort ran a hand through his hair. Loathe as he was to destroy an experiment, if the creature were to escape, everything would fall to ruin. Fate was twisting his arm.

Turning back into the action of the room, Xehanort noted with interest that numerous experiments were being carried out at once, with almost frenzied speed.

Even was still examining the material that fell along with the meteorites. Dilan was attempting to fasten a flailing man to a surgery bed whereas Ienzo was sat at a desk with a mountain of ancient-looking books. His hands flipped through the pages so rapidly, Xehanort was amazed that he could see them.

Suddenly, the room was filled with shouts and crashes. Xehanort spun to see that the man had broken free from Dilan and was exiting the room at incredible speed. Even and Ienzo immediately took after him, followed by Dilan after he had lifted himself from the floor.

Xehanort raced after them, spinning around corners, dashing through doorways and quickly caught the others. They raced up the ramp to an ear-splitting scream.

They reached the top to find the man lying on the ground, his blood flooding around him in a large pool, obvious gashes in his chest, just above his heart.

Aelaeus and Braig stood to one side, an arrowgun in Braig's hand.

There was no sign of the creature.

The elevator doors stood open, revealing Master Ansem in fine regalia, eyes wide in horror. The pain etched into his face drew his mouth into a taut line, tears pooling in his eyes.

Xehanort stepped forward.

"Master Ansem, it is an honour to be-"

"What is going on here?" Ansem cut him off with a shout, his voice cracking from suppressed rage and hurt.

Xehanort was unfazed. "Well master Ans-"

"BE SILENT!" The hurt from the Lord's face had been replaced with unrelenting rage.

"THERE IS A MAN BLEEDING TO DEATH ON THE FLOOR!" He turned wild eyes to each apprentice in turn.

"I arrive to see some strange creature attack a young man before being shot to death by Braig! The rest of you arrive and I see nothing but guilt written on your faces! Now someone explain what is going on!"

Xehanort stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak but Ansem cut him off again.

"Someone OTHER than Xehanort!"

Even turned his face away in shame.

"We are conducting experiments on the darkness of the heart." Dilan's gruff voice cut through the silence.

Ansem's eyes widened. "But this man-?"

"An experiment. A test-subject. Nothing more."

Rage pooled inside Master Ansem again. "We are talking about an innocent man's life! And you say that you've been experimenting on him? How many?"

"How many?"

"People. How many people have you killed for this madness?"

"There are still subjects awaiting us downstairs."

A tear threatened to spill from Ansem's eyes and he turned his face away.

"What have you done?"

His apprentices. His children. What had they become? Evil? Murderers? _Monsters?_

Xehanort spoke again. "What have _we_ done? What about you Master? What have _you_ done? Was it not you that begun this? Was it not you that became so enthralled, so _obsessed_ with the Darkness of the heart that you would sacrifice the safety of another to find the answers?"

Realisation stabbed at Ansem like a blade through the heart. _He _had done this. It was his fault.

He had begun something that had spiralled monstrously beyond his control. Agony and regret burned through him.

"You will stop this now! You will release _everyone_ you have imprisoned down here and you will destroy all of your research! You will never speak of this again and you will not leave the castle! You are to wait here and prepare to be punished for your crimes."

Ansem turned to leave, a mournful whisper lingering in the air behind him.

"I didn't want this."


	6. Chapter 5 Visiting King

**Responses to reviews:**

**Flightfoot – Yes, I agree completely, admittedly the majority of gore and revolting experiments came from my own screwed-up brain, when I read the Ansem Reports that Xehanort had written, I was so disgusted to see that the Apprentices had been performing experiments on people. It's horrific to think about. **

Months later and Ansem had not left his chambers. After he'd learned of his apprentice's betrayals, learned what they had done, he had sealed himself in his chambers and not left. He often refused food, eating only enough to keep himself alive.

He never spoke to anyone when they came to the door in an attempt to get him out and about. He didn't work. He didn't rule and because of this, Radiant garden was showing strain. If Radiant Garden's King didn't return soon, there would be nothing left of the kingdom.

On his desk lay a single sheet of monogrammed paper, cramped, scratchy writing stating:

"_**Secret Ansem Report 2**_

_I have made a grave mistake._

_My study of the "darkness of the heart" began with a simple psychological test and quickly snowballed._

_Spurred on by my youngest apprentice Ienzo, I have constructed a massive laboratory in the basement of my castle._

_Unbeknownst to me, my six apprentices then began collecting a large number of subjects on which to perform dangerous experiments into the "darkness of the heart."_

_As soon as I found out, I called my apprentices together and ordered them not only to cease their studies but to destroy the results of their research thus far._

_What on earth was happening within the hearts of my six beloved apprentices?_

_While pursuing the mystery of the "darkness of the heart", could they too have strayed into its depths?_

_Yet I remain the most foolish of them all, for having begun these experiments._

_We are not meant to interfere in the depths of another's heart, no matter what our reasons for doing so..."_

The paper remained untouched since the day it had been written, only an hour after Ansem had discovered his apprentice's betrayals. Only after it had been transferred to paper did the truth finally sink in.

He had killed innocents.

Yes, he had done nothing to them _directly _but _he_ had driven his apprentices to those experiments and so he was responsible. He had failed his apprentices and they had fallen.

The King rose from his chair by the locked balcony doors, wrenching the heavy curtains closed and plunging the room into darkness.

His mind was plagued with the horrors of what his apprentices had done. If the news got out, it would create a scandal that would shake the very heart of Radiant Garden, destroying the happy world and plunging its people into despair.

A knock on the room's heavy doors, stirred the King from his depressive thoughts.

"Lord Ansem?" The timid voice of a young maid floated through the doors. "You have a visitor Lord Ansem."

Ansem sat on the foot of the bed, placing his face in his hands.

"Tell them to leave, I do not wish to see anyone."

The maid raised her hand to knock again, her hand lingering in the air. Sighing, she turned away from the door, walking back along the corridor.

She worried for the Lord. It had been like this for months and already Radiant Garden was showing signs of fatigue. The economy was taking the worst hit. Shops throughout the city were failing and falling into bankruptcy.

But it was the king himself that worried her the most, it had been days since ha last ate, his refusals of food becoming more and more frequent.

The lord wouldn't even allow them to see him; the doors were kept locked at all times.

How she worried! Soon there could be nothing left of the great ruler.

Regaining her bearings, the young maid soon realised that she had reached the drawing room, in which she had left the Lord's visitor.

Pushing open the door, she found the small mouse King, sitting on an armchair that was clearly too large for him.

Folding her hands in front of her, the young maid bowed apologetically.

"My apologies but Master Ansem is not yet well enough to receive visitors."

The small King smiled and jumped down from the chair.

"No need for apologies, I shall return tomorrow. Thank you for your hospitality."

The young maid straightened. "Then may I at least offer you a room for the night?"

"Thank you kindly but I really must return to my ship. I shall return tomorrow."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Xehanort strode through the halls of the castle's basement, past the rows of now-empty cells, past the storage room, inside which lay the door, and on through the door that led to the deepest depths of the basement.

Where the creatures reigned.

Descending the stairs slowly, he reached the bottom and peered through the cell's glass panelling. The creatures were swarming over the guarded walls, strategically searching for weak spots that they could break through.

Satisfied that the creatures were suitably distracted and cared not for his presence, he crossed the small atrium, finding a much smaller guarded cell, a child huddled up inside it.

She stared up at his towering figure, wide blue eyes frozen in terror.

He smiled.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Xehanort's jaw dropped as he watched the magnificent vessel land gently on one of the castle's flat towers. From the large craft, a small mouse emerged and was greeted by the new maid, Erika.

Once both mouse and maid were out of sight Xehanort clambered through the window to further examine the ship itself.

Running a hand over its hull, Xehanort was amazed to find that it was formed from the same material that had fallen to the world during the meteor shower.

Marvelling at the very possibility of interworld travel alone, Xehanort snatched his hand away from the ship's hull.

A sudden thought entering his mind; he rushed back inside, intent on heading to Even's room to find the material samples from the meteor shower.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day the small King did return. He once again took up residence in the drawing room's largest armchair to await the Lord of radiant Garden.

Again he was disappointed, as the maid returned with news of the Lord still being unable to face visitors.

The small King thanked the maid again for her hospitality and time before taking his leave.

Before, returning to his ship, however, he took a stroll around Radiant Garden. Every small square and courtyard was filled with magnificent flowers. They did, of course, offer little in comparison to the astounding castle gardens but it was plain to see where radiant Garden gained its name.

Yet, as the small King took in the sights of his scenic tour, the kingdom seemed a little less radiant.

In the shadows and side-alleys, people sat, begging and pleading for salvation., praying that their king had not abandoned them.

Now that was odd.

Radiant Garden had long held position as the most successful kingdom in the multi-verse. Their economy had long been hailed for its success and efficiency.

As he passed by, people reached out to him, crying for a saviour.

The condition of the kingdom got worse, the further from the castle he walked.

He stopped, eyes wide, as he came across two young men fighting in the street, over a bag of coins. One man tripped the other, snatching the bag of coins from his hands and took off running down the road.

The small king shook his head sadly. His sadness soon gave way to anger.

This was not right! What was Ansem doing in that room of his that he deigned it fit for his once-magnificent kingdom to fall to ruin.

Whatever it was, it ended here!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Erika was folding sheets when the small King returned from his walk. The usually cheerful creature was enraged. He didn't ask to see Master Ansem so much as demanded.

Seeing that he would not be reasoned with, Erika reluctantly led him to the Lord's chambers and knocked on the door.

"Master Ansem? My apologies for disturbing you but your visitor claims it is important."

"Tell him I do not wish to see anyone." Came the reply, muffled by the thick wood of the door.

The small King bristled and banged a fist in the door himself.

"Lord Ansem! I wish to speak to you about the state if your kingdom! I had come for a considerably more affable purpose but that shall have to wait! Open the door!"

There was no reply.

"Lord Ansem! You cannot _possibly_ think it is reasonable to allow your kingdom to fall into ruin! Your people are suffering! Do you even care?"

Still no answer.

Erika intervened. "That is not appropriate! You cannot speak to the his Lordship in such a way!"

The visitor ignored her. "Lord Ansem! I have seen the way your people are being forced to live without your leadership! They are reduced to begging and thieving, even fighting each other in the street for food or money! I know you hate to see your people suffer so open the door!"

When the Lord of radiant Garden still refused to yield, the visitor held out a hand, a large golden key materialising in his hand.

Erika stepped back in shock.

The visitor held the key to the door's heavy keyhole. The lock clicked and the small king barged into the room.

His weapon vanished upon catching sight of the Lord of Radiant Garden.

His hair was long and unkempt, tired eyes staring out between the unwashed strands. His body was thin beneath the fine clothes he wore. He clearly hadn't eaten properly for a considerable amount of time.

The young maid, Erika, immediately rushed over to the malnourished King, fussing over his deteriorated state.

The small king, however, was drawn to his eyes. Beneath their tired and glazed appearance lay guilt.

Guilt and betrayal.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lord Ansem and his visitor now sat alone in his chambers, the Lord slumped against the headboard, wrapped in silken sheets.

"Who are you?" Even his voice was uncared for, croaking harshly around the words.

"My name is Mickey. I am a King from another world."

Ansem stared dully at the small mouse. In any normal circumstance the news that his visitor was from a completely different world would have thrilled and amazed him but now his eyes were dull.

"Lord Ansem, I struggle to comprehend what has happened here. What could be so terrible that it would force you to stop protecting your people?"

Ansem began his tale, telling the small king of his theories and early experiments. He explained how Xehanort had been the subject in his first experiments and their relation to both the heart and his loss of his memories. Mickey was fascinated by Xehanort's lack of memories and the outcome of the experiment.

Ansem continued his tale, describing Xehanort's obvious drive to find out more about himself through further experimentation into the Darkness of the Heart, he told of the fiendish experiments his apprentices had performed on the people they abducted.

He noticed Mickey bristle at the descriptions of the experiments, his small body trembling with suppressed rage.

Ansem ended his tale with his fears and guilt. The knowledge that he had failed his apprentices and allowed them to become these heartless monsters.

The tiny king sat silent for a few moments, contemplating the tale.

"You wish to know more about the darkness of the heart, correct?"

Ansem nodded mutely.

"Then perhaps you ought to look over the results of your apprentices experiments?"

Ansem's eyes bugged.

"You cannot be serious! I will not use knowledge garnered from blood! I refuse to allow my people to learn from murder."

"But think of it Lord Ansem, if the knowledge is not used, then murder is all this was. If you choose to use the knowledge you find, then at least these people will have died for something. Else they died in vain."

Ansem fell silent. Mickey had a point. If he did nothing, if he destroyed this knowledge, this truth, not only would the people who were killed have died for nothing, there would be no evidence with which to punish the apprentices for what they had done.

"All right."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


	7. Chapter 6 Getting away with it

Ansem stood in the castle basement staring up at the lifeless machine, its massive parts coating the room's walls.

He dreaded to think of what the machine was used for, though knowing his apprentices, he didn't want to find out. He'd have to find out how it worked and shut it down.

Abandoning the thought temporarily, Ansem turned his attention to the floor and the ramp that had, mercifully, been left open. It was likely that his apprentices had enforced some method of denying their master access to the lowest levels.

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Ansem descended the ramp. It was considerably longer than he had first anticipated, snaking around the walls in a wide circle, descending several stories beneath the castle.

Eventually reaching the narrow corridor at the bottom of the ramp, Ansem was faced with a long series of identical doors.

The first on his left appeared to be a disused storage room and so Ansem paid it no heed, slowly traversing the long corridor.

A large number of the doors on either side led to small cells. Ansem ducked into one to examine it. There was a splatter of blood on the polished white floor but other than that there appeared to be no sign that anyone had inhabited the small room.

Ansem left the room, more appalled at the fact that the apprentices appeared to have destroyed the evidence of the people that they had imprisoned here, destroying their existence, than he would have been if he had found a stack of corpses.

He continued along the narrow corridor, ignoring any further cells he found, until he came to a turn. The corridor turned both ways.

The route to his left was short, only an inlet, with a single, small door. Disregarding it as yet another storage room, from its battered appearance it appeared to be unused, Ansem turned right following the longer corridor to a large set of double doors.

The doors stood open, revealing a magnificent, albeit deserted laboratory. The image alone made Ansem's heart sink. A laboratory so grand was meant to be used, scientists bustling around, papers and clipboards in their arms, experiments lying eagerly on the table tops.

Though, he knew for a fact that in this laboratory, none of the experiments were waiting eagerly. Rather they were waiting with a sense of trepidation.

When Ienzo had come to him with a request for a new laboratory, Ansem was only too happy to oblige, of course, he had been curious when Ienzo had stated the desire to have the laboratory in the castle's basement but after being assured that the apprentices required this location to keep their experiments from presenting any danger to the castle's other inhabitants, Ansem had immediately hired contractors to construct the laboratory. Ansem had requested it be furnished as fully and quickly as possible.

Now he regretted that decision.

He walked between the deserted benches, examining each workstation as he passed. The first was rather obviously Ienzo's chosen station. Books were piled high, blotting out the white surface. The next was again obvious as to who it belonged. A small pistol, one of Braig's least favoured weapons, lay amid notebooks and sheets of paper.

Aeleus' workstation was crisply organised, a rubrics cube sitting on the table, aligned perfectly with the table's corners. Passing Even and Dilan's workstations, respectively covered with chemicals and textbooks, Ansem reached the workstation he sought.

Xehanort's workstation was completely clear.

Nothing lay on it, not a sheet of paper, nor a folder. Ansem ran his hands over the table's surface. As his hand slipped under the edge on the right hand side of the table, he felt a protrusion.

Bizarre.

Ansem applied pressure to the protrusion and found that it clicked into place, a small drawer shooting out from the desk and almost striking him in the abdomen.

Inside the drawer was an array of files, all of them a dull grey colour and all accurately labelled.

The first was a compilation of experiments carried out and their results. The second bore the label "HYPTHESES".

Ansem lifted them both free from the drawer when a smaller, white folder fell from between the two. This folder was, bizarrely, blank.

Xehanort was the type of person who couldn't bear for information to be mixed up and so he _always_ labelled his folders and notebooks.

'For it not to be labelled, this folder must contain something he doesn't want to be seen.'

Setting the other two folders back in the drawer, Ansem flipped the small folder open to peruse its contents.

Reading the first document, his eyes began to widen. It sounded extremely familiar.

It hit him.

Ansem glanced down to check the signature at the bottom of the page.

It was his.

Flipping through the pages, he found an accurate copy of his signature adorning the bottom of every one. His personal, monogrammed paper had also somehow been duplicated.

Xehanort had been writing reports while posing as him!

Ansem could have kicked himself. He'd been such a fool.

Xehanort was too smart. He'd covered all his bases. By writing reports posing as the Lord of Radiant Garden, it would be interpreted that Ansem himself was leading the experiments.

Damn!

If anyone found these, they would reach the conclusion that Ansem had led the entire operation. The apprentices would be seen as having been following commands.

They would never be punished for what they had done.

Xehanort again descended the staircase to the lowest levels of the castle. He'd seen Ansem emerge from the ramp and immediately rushed to check the Door.

Neither the room nor the Door had been disturbed, leading him to believe that Master Ansem had not discovered it.

He then followed the corridor down to the inlet on the left.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he was confident that Master Ansem couldn't have checked the room. He had been too calm.

The familiar scuttling sounds of the basement's Heartless inhabitants reached his ears, their scuttling considerably more agitated since his previous trips down to the lowest level.

Striding around the staircase to the hollow inlet behind them, he found his guarded cage. The small child sat huddled, still staring, wide-eyed, at the heavy door beyond which the creatures lay.

Xehanort turned to examine the door when the small voice cried out.

"Please let me go!"

The little girl shuffled over to the edge of the Guard cage that was closest to where Xehanort stood, her blue eyes pleading.

"Please! Please don't give me to those things!"

Xehanort turned, meeting the wide cerulean eyes. His lips drew themselves up into a faint smirk.

"Oh no child. I need you for a greater purpose."

The small girl pushed a stray lock of her ruby hair behind her ear.

"W-what?"

"I'm not sure yet but I know there is something that I will need a test subject for and you are the only one left now that that fool has-!"

Xehanort cut himself off as his hand collided with the wall, the thick, white plaster cracking and splintering around his clenched fist.

The girl screamed and jumped back to the other end of the cage, huddling herself as far from Xehanort as she could get.

Xehanort's shoulders shook with barely suppressed rage and his chocolate eyes burned.

Slowly extracting his fist from the wall, he stood up straight, smoothing his hair back and adjusting his lab coat around him. After taking a deep breath, he turned and strode from the room, the little girl's eyes watching him warily.

Even had taken up residence in the castle's great library, leaving only to feed and sleep. After their disgrace before their Master, the apprentices had all abandoned their experiments and disappeared within the maze of the castle.

On the rare occasions that they encountered each other, no recognition was shown. It was as if they had become vicious enemies, all blaming the others for their public disgrace.

Even had decided to take refuge amongst the books that gave him his knowledge, the books of science and magic that had captivated his soul since childhood. Whereas Braig had sought to make his peace amongst the vast array of firearms that he kept at his disposal. He was often found in one of the fields where he had established his own personal shooting range.

No-one had any clue what had happened to Aeleus. The towering apprentice was difficult to miss, yet none had seen him since that day. He had simply vanished to some remote location in the castle, emptying his room of its puzzles and problems as he went.

Even wasn't entirely sure about Dilan but if he had to take a guess, he'd have assumed that Dilan would be in one of two places, doing one of two possible things.

The first, Dilan could be down in the fields, hunting and killing small fluffy creatures.

Or it could be the second, which was much more likely. Dilan could be up on the roof, testing his control of the wind that blew around the castle's battlements.

And of course, the ringleader in their debauched experiments.

Xehanort.

Even frequently crossed paths with the confident apprentice, each time ignoring his existence completely.

There was always something about Xehanort that made him feel uneasy, particularly now. Xehanort didn't seem to care that they had been disgraced in front of their master and forced to abandon their experiments.

It was almost like he hadn't noticed.

Xehanort still strutted his way around the castle, playing the part of the famed and favoured apprentice of the great Lord of Radiant Garden.

Even had even witnessed Xehanort travelling down to the basement through Master Ansem's office.

The apprentices knew that the Lord had confined himself to his quarters since his discovery of their experiments and Xehanort, of course, was using that to his full advantage.

Even shook his head in disgust and continued returning the heavy volumes in his arms to the shelves where they belonged.

Thinking about it, he was, of course, surprised to have never come across the youngest apprentice roaming the library's vast shelves. Ienzo's love of books surprisingly managed to outweigh his own. Ienzo was never found without a pile of books in his arms.

'Perhaps he hasn't had the heart to be around his beloved literature. We are all disgraced; he's probably feeling the pain of it.'

Even rounded the corned, almost dropping the books in his arms when he found Ienzo, curled up against a high-shelved bookcase, a heavy volume on his lap and more scattered around him.

Ienzo glanced up, meeting the eyes of his fellow apprentice. His uncaring stare lingered only a moment before he turned his face back to the pages of the volume.

Even bristled slightly before he began stomping past the engaged apprentice.

He gasped and froze as Ienzo appeared in front of him. The shorter apprentice grabbed a book from his pile and either by Ienzo's skill or sheer luck, the book was tugged free from the pile with the rest barely moving.

Ienzo examined the book he had taken from the taller apprentice for a moment before whacking it straight back onto the top of the pile in Even's arms, adding a couple from his collection on the floor as well. He then seized the book underneath the volume he previously retrieved and again tugged it free. He made a satisfied sound and strode back towards his floor spot, leaving a flustered Even behind him.

Braig found himself hanging by an ankle from a tree. He crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his remaining eye at a nearby bush.

"Damn it Dilan! Get me the hell down from here!"

Dilan leapt out from behind him, cutting the rope around Braig's ankle, causing him to fall to the ground in a heap.

"Ow! Damn it you _jackass_!" Braig rubbed his head in an attempt to soothe the pain.

Dilan meanwhile was doubled over with laughter, tears pricking at his eyes.

Braig glared and jumped to his feet.

"Oh yeah? You think that's funny huh?"

He grabbed his gun from the ground and fired. Dilan's laughter caused his knees to go weak, dropping him to the ground just in time to fall out of the path of Braig's bullet.

His laughter subsided fairly quick.

"Oh you little bitch!"

Stomping back over to the tree, Dilan retrieved his spear and charged at Braig, the latter using his mastery of gravity spells to leap into the air and plant his feet on the underside of a branch, firing at Dilan as he went.

The meatier of the two apprentices in turn used his mastery of wind spells to deflect Braig's bullets.

The two grinned and Braig leapt down from the tree to face Dilan.

"You're gonna get your ass kicked Braig."

Braig grinned again. "Bring it muttonchops."

Ansem returned to his study to find Mickey examining one of his journals. He turned when he heard the wall panel vanish.

"Did you find anything?"

Ansem nodded.

"Actually I found something rather grim."

Mickey was all ears.

Ansem drew out the white folder and handed it to the small king.

Mickey's face progressed through numerous expressions. Confusion. Surprise. Intrigue. Shock. Anger.

"B-but these are-. They bear _your_ signature!"

Ansem nodded.

"Yes. That is what concerns me. Xehanort has somehow managed to duplicate both my personal monogrammed paper and my signature. This is his protection."

Mickey's face fell.

"With this we can't prove anything without implicating you!"

Ansem nodded again.

"Yes. Xehanort has been extremely clever here. By writing reports and signing them with my name, it can never be proved that I wasn't the person running this monstrousness. We cannot charge Xehanort with what he has done."


	8. Chapter 7 Through the Door

The little girl walked silently alongside the scientist, clutching his hand in her own as they followed winding corridor after winding corridor.

She tilted her face up to gauge the expression of the scientist.

His mouth was set into a thin line and his chocolate eyes were burning with an intense determination.

Xehanort thoughts were running rampant with hypotheses and calculations.

'This experiment could be the turning point I've been waiting for! These Doors that lead to the Hearts of worlds, they usually remain sealed. I know that by opening the Door to the Heart of Radiant Garden, I have broken down the wall that prevented access to this world. By breaking that wall, I allowed the "gummi" substance and that King to arrive here. That King….. he spoke of a "Keyblade, a Keyblade with the power to seal the Doors of different worlds. And the wielder….what was it he said? "A wielder will awaken to save the world when great evil rises to threaten it." I must find this Keyblade wielder! If he closes the Door to this world's Heart, I may never again be able to access it. I cannot let that happen, I must find and stop him! Research of the Door could be the greatest discovery into the Darkness of the heart that we never dreamt of!'

Xehanort unconsciously tightened his grip on the young girl, causing her to cry out.

Staring down at the girl, Xehanort's thoughts wandered again.

'This girl, I do not know if she harbours the power necessary for this task but she is my only chance to find this Keyblade wielder. I will send her out and maybe, maybe she will lead me to him.'

Xehanort resumed his hurried stride, tugging the unprepared girl behind him.

Xehanort stood, arms folded and body tensed, staring up at the inky black sky. His brows knitted together in a frown as another star flickered before blinking out.

'A shooting star. The end of another world.' The scientist uncrossed his arms, allowing them to hang by his side.

'I wonder how long the Heartless inhabited that world before its eradication became assured. I have opened the door and broken the wall that formed the only protection for this world. Our destruction is a mere matter of time now.'

The scientist's thoughts drifted between walls, doors and creatures formed of darkness.

'The Heartless. How do they survive the destruction of the worlds? If they are formed from the darkness of a person's heart then surely they do not have corporeal form? Yet then how do they cause such damage to the bodies of others and consume their hearts? They must have some power or ability that allows them to surpass the destruction of worlds and not perish along with them. Assuming the Heartless have the capability to perish in the first place. If I could but harvest their power, perhaps I too could transcend the mortality that ties me to this world?'

Crossing his arms again, Xehanort turned and strode back through the balcony doors.

"What do you propose we do about this?"

Ansem frowned to himself.

"I'm not sure what to do. We need to know what Xehanort plans to do now. I have stopped his monstrous experiments but he may still be pursuing the subject."

The tiny King frowned in thought for a moment.

"Perhaps if we were to search the usurper's room? We may find something to lead us to his next move?"

The master of Radiant Garden sighed, glancing out at the evening sky.

"Very well."

Xehanort strode around the wide door, stopping every few minutes to examine something that caught his eye.

Finding nothing of particular interest to the door's exterior, the scientist took a firm hold of the door's handles and pulled. The heavy frame swung open with considerably more ease than the previous occasion.

His senses were instantly assaulted with the intense buzz of raw energy. A cacophonous roar filled his ears, his eyes burned and his body shook with the sheer pressure of the energy directed toward him, searching him, pulling him.

The energy seemed to seep through his skin, invading his pores like water pouring through the holes in a colander.

Tugging himself free, Xehanort pulled back and made to pull the door closed.

So why was he falling?

The heavy door slammed shut with a dull thud, leaving the small storage room empty.

Aeleus had grown tired of the limited collection of puzzles he'd taken with him to the castle's lower levels and so had emerged in search of some new challenges.

He now found himself traversing the empty corridors of the castle, marvelling at the very notion of the corridors being empty.

Radiant Garden castle was usually a bustling hive of activity, servants cleaning, businessmen and townspeople seeking audiences with the Lord. The silence and desolation was unnerving, even to the apprentice who enjoyed his privacy the most.

During his aimless wandering, Aeleus had managed to find his way to the living quarters of the apprentices. The long corridor housed their separate rooms as well as the rooms assigned to the servants that were needed on hand on a regular basis.

Aeleus glanced around, his eye widening and taking in the sight of a rather bedraggled-looking Xehanort.

That in itself was odd.

Xehanort had always taken pride in his appearance. It just wasn't in him to appear before anyone looking anything less than, shall we say, _perfectly coifed._

His shirt was torn in numerous places. In fact, it was perhaps more shredded than torn, now struggling to resemble a shirt at all. His breeches hadn't faired much better though they, at least, were covering enough skin to not break any codes of public decency.

He was also missing his left boot.

Without even sparing him a glance, Xehanort stopped short and turned into his room, just across the hall from Aeleus' own.

Aeleus raised an eyebrow but said nothing, merely stepping into his own quarters to continue his original search for new puzzles.


End file.
